From Aaron's point of view, it looked as if the fabric of reality had been pulled apart by the hands of god.
Thick white cracks tore out from the central tunnel that dove through the sky like a mythical vortex into another realm.
High above the Ghostship, bells chimed at such volumes that it shook the sea itself, the passage of dimensions taking a heavy toll on the vessel.
With the expenditure of nearly a quarter of Cauron Thorn's mana reserves, he would be able to provide the five teenagers with a safe journey through the World Between, even in the dangerous times that now plagued its waters.
Nidhogg's careless descent had caused ripples of unquantifiable magnitude to echo throughout the place that existed between all other worlds.
Far more horrifying and vile beasts had been stirred from the ocean floor, their hunger unsatiated, and the blood of humans the perfect meal.
So as the magnificent orange-ship sailed through the portal with the bells of reality declaring its entry, the monsters of the depths were bound to surface and watch.
Standing by the side of the boat, Aaron watched as it passed through the rift, the World Between coming into view.
The water was white with fog rolling over its surface like a blanket that covered bits and pieces of debris from destroyed worlds.
In the distance, sea terrors lurked and prowled along the currents, too scared to approach yet brave enough to witness.
Swallowing hard, the blond boy looked upward, his vision instantly swarmed with endless visions of grandeur.
What looked to be limbs of a tree stretched outward infinitely without any logic or gravity to their direction.
In every direction, there seemed to be a branch; the endlessly complex tree of dimensions vast and powerful.
However, as he gazed southbound, he noticed an odd occurrence with the so-called branches he had found.
Unlike the ones towards the north, they seemed shorter and more warped, as if they had grown around something else.
Leaning over the railing for a better look, he felt a presence emerge next to him, the orange-haired Sea King looking out alongside him.
"The roots of the universe."
Aaron furrowed his brow at the man's words, the oxymoron not quite computing within the boy's brain.
"How can the universe have roots? Does that mean it has an end as well?"
Lord Thorn nodded his head slowly, the beautiful colors of the branching worlds reflecting in his eyes.
"The World Between is divided into segments. We are located within the Devil's Triangle, which is a crater in the very center of the tree."
He spread his arms out wide as if to show the so-called area off to the boy who watched him intently.
"Near the bottom, you have the Great Beyond, the only dimension connected to all others, and its form is constricted by roots. A passage to it exists in the Devil's Triangle; however, only the spirits of the dead or Angels may enter."
The blond boy's mind flashed with the image of Maria Elaris coming through into the world easily, the idea of sailing through this place on a tiny barge nearly making him chuckle.
The only thing that kept him composed was death itself, now spread beyond his view, all those now deceased roaming that dimension.
Of course, those who had broken a Soul Pact had lost their souls and therefore ceased to exist alongside those touched by Erasure; however, down below, in the far south of the universe, Death himself resided.
Gripping his fist tight, he heard the Sea King continue on with his words.
"Then, at the top, is heaven."
He pointed upward, a white streak of absolute majesty that exuded a blinding sheen coming into sight.
Penelope buzzed quietly at Aaron's hip, her voice coming out slow but unrestrained.
『All that grandeur for it to be the most hellish place in the universe. The gods suffered for what they did, and they will continue to do so as long as I may draw breath.』
Her extremely ominous words were followed by two reactions, one from the Naelith, who seemed to be starstruck by the World Between.
The other was from a being that the boy did not expect, the deity within his head whispering something in a tone so quiet that it could be missed.
"H o m e"
…
"You're dying."
Cauron Thorn was blunt with his words as the Ghostship came out of the World Between after only an hour.
The glasses he wore on his face flashed with an orange hue that the boy could only recognize as Divine Interference.
"What do you mean?"
Playing the words off as if they meant nothing, the boy continued to relax against the wall, the morning sun still high in the sky as it approached midday.
The King simply sighed at the blond-haired Commodore's words, his own voice coming out quietly afterward.
"You've ingested a piece of an Ancient Naelith and forged a contract with it, have you not?"
At first, there was no reaction from the turquoise-eyed child, his gaze simply falling downward towards the water.
After a minute of silence, Aaron finally spoke up, his expression sad and unexpectedly open.
"No point in lying to the King of Life who's immortal, is there?"
The Sea King chuckled solemnly, a mutual understanding passing between the two men who wielded Ghostships.
Though the deity still lingered at the edges of his mind, it had been relatively silent after the moment in which the Goddess of Life had noticed his presence.
This allowed for his stress level and mental clarity to increase, which contributed to his calmness even upon the life-or-death questioning by the King.
"I drank a bottle of corrupted liquor and ended up with this parasite in my mind whispering its dreams to me…"
He paused, looking over at the century-old man who nodded slowly with an observation of his own.
Having studied how sea terrors and humans interact with one another for five decades straight, he was a professional in the field of bonds between the species.
"You're similar to a halfling right now, with instead of being fifty-fifty, you're more ninety-ten…"
Taking a breath, the King pondered for a second on how to explain it in simpler terms for someone he would consider a child.
"To simplify, the Naelith, as you said, acts like a parasite with its only goal to spread its genes to its offspring. An Ancient Naelith, however, is more likely to be trying to—"
He was cut off by the sound of a horn in the distance, a curse coming quietly out of his mouth in a tone less than a mutter.
"The Knights have come to clear entry…"
Shaking his head, he walked away without ever finishing the conversation, leaving Aaron alone to stare at the approaching ship in the distance.
Its hull was like nothing he had ever seen before, a pure metal base made from an alloy of an unknown mineral forged in the heart of the Sea of Souls.
There was not a speck of wood on the surface of the vessel, its sails hanging with red cloth and with the symbol of crossed swords dripping with blood stitched onto them.
Weapons that didn't quite resemble cannons jutted off the side, their appearance much larger and at least ten times more violent.
Rusted metal spikes jutted upward where railings might otherwise be to prevent pirates from boarding the metal colossus from the sea.
If Cauron Thorn's Ghostship was considered a 'floating fortress,' then that monster of a ship would be considered a floating fortress of war.
How does it even float?
Staring intently, he felt a rush of cool air wash over the area, a booming voice projecting from the warcraft.
"Attention, Lord Cauron J. Thorn. You are to surrender the five champions to our vessel for further inspection before landing on the Nautilus Burial Grounds. Any failure to uphold the treaty will result in a fine."
There was a pause as the Sea King took a seat near the helm, his eyes staring off towards the ship in the distance.
"I don't think I will."
His voice came out through a radio installed in the Ghostship interface, the metallic boat in the distance receiving the transmission quickly.
"Say again, Lord Thorn. We didn't hear you the first time."
Aaron looked across the deck to Ezra, who seemed to be holding back his laughter at the misunderstanding.
The King of Mysteries simply scoffed, his mouth moving slowly as he responded fully to the ship in the distance.
"I do not care what the Knights of Crimson request; you are denied."
There was no reply as the Ghostship continued forward past the metallic vessel, only the sound of lapping waves against the hull echoing through the bright day.
"Can he do that?"
Walking up beside the blond-haired boy, Akari whispered the words quietly into his ear, his response coming soon after.
"I don't think anyone can stop him…"